Cleaning apparatus.



B. E. HARRIS.

CLEANING APPARATUS.

APPLICATIONFILED DEC.9.!9I1.

Patented June 22, 1915.

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B. E. HARRIS.

CLEANING APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED mate, 91:.

1 1%@ 959n Patented June 22, 1915.

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CLEANING: APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 22, 11245.

Application filed December 9, 1911. Serial No. 664,724.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN E. HAR- ms, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cleaning Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to apparatus adapted to clean floor-coverings and other articles by the combined action of an exhaust air current and a brush, the brush being ordinarily provided for the purpose of picking up lint, thread clippings and the like which cannot be taken by the air current.

Although the brush is needed only occasionally, it has, in prior devices, been operated continuously, thus causing excessive wear upon the carpet and the brush, and a waste of power. Moreover, the brush has sometimes been located in the path of the air current, and thus has necessitated the provision of an unduly large suction open: mg.

The objects of my invention are to make the brush intermittently operable; to provide convenient means for connecting and disconnecting the brush and its driving means; and to locate the brush at a point removed from the suction opening.

Tn the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a longitudinal central section through an apparatus embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a top plan view with the upper part of the casing in section. Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken in the plane of dotted line 3 3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a fragmental side elevation. Fig. 5 illustrates means for locking the brush in its operative position.

The casing may be of any suitable form or character. Herein I have showna casing l-having an elongated nozzle 2 at its forward end upon itslower side, said nozzle resting upon the floor and thus supporting the forward end of the casing. The rear end of the casing is supported upon rollers 3 fixed upon a crank shaft 4 which is mounted in an. interior framework. This framework comprises a plate 5 emending adjacent to both ends and both sides of the casing and supporting the downward projecting memhers 5 to which the bearings 5 of the shaft- .4 are attached. Tn the upper part of the casing 1 is located one or more suitable aircurrent producers,1n this instance, three hellows 6 being shown, each bellows being provided with an intake valve" 7 and a discharge valve 8. The bellows are driven through suitable connections with the crank shaft 4. The dust-laden air entering through the nozzle 2 is filtered by suitable means, such as a strainer 9 located in front of the intake valves 7. The air discharged embodiment, of a cylindrical brush 13 comprising a central spindle or shaft 12. The shaft 12 is rotatably supported in a suitable manner, as by means of bearings in the lower ends of two arms 14, the upper ends of which arms are pivoted at 15 upon a U-shaped member consisting of two levers 16 and the connecting portion 17. The levers 16 are mounted on pivots 18 upon the interior framework. A spring 19 coiled about each pivot 18 has one arm bearing against the framework and its other arm bearing against a projection 20 on a bell-crank arm 21 formed integral, in this instance, with the arm 14. A stop 22 on the lever 16 limits the pivotal movement imparted to the arm 14 by the spring 19. Extending upwardly from and pivoted to each lever 16 is an arm 23 provided with a stud 24 which underlies the bail-portion 25 of the handle 26. Said bail-portion is pivoted to the casing and interior framework at 27. A notch 28 may, if desired, be formed in each bail-arm, as herein shown, to receive the stud 24. A spring 29 secured between its ends to the interior frame-work tends to swing the arms 23 forward to place the studs 24 in the notches 28. A stop 30 is provided on each lever 16 to contact the adjacent arm 23 and thus limit the upward movement of the levers 16 and the forward movement of the arms 23.

In machines of this class the amount of power available for all purposes is deter mined by the traction between the wheels and the floor, and such traction is necessarily relatively slight. Considerable power is required to produce an effective suction current, and hence it is important that as little power as possible be diverted from the current-creating means. if therefore have arranged the auxiliary brushing means so that it shall be connected with the source of power only when in operative relation to the floor or fioor-covering. As shown in the drawings, two rollers 31 are fixed upon the brushshaft 12 in position to come in contact with the peripheries of the rollers 3 when the brush is depressed by pressure of the bail 25 against the studs 24.

The parts are so arranged that in the ordinary operation of the apparatus the brush 13 is held elevated out of contact with the floor-covering, with the rollers 31 out of contact with the rollers 3. When. the operator observes a thread or the like which has not been removed by the suction current, the operator depresses the handle 26 slightly, thereby lowering the brush into contact with the floor covering and moving the rollers 31 into driven relation to the rollers 3. The brush will then be rotated to pick up the thread, the latter being deposited in the pan 32. After the thread has been removed from the floor, the operator raises the handle to the customary height, thereby stopping the rotation of the brush and raising the lat- .ter olf the floor-covering.

The pan 32 is pivoted at 33 to brackets 34 fixed to the walls of the dust collecting chamber 11. For operating the pan 32 there is provided a push-rod 35 pivoted at its lower end to the pan, the upper portion of said rod passing through an opening in the casing 1. A spring 36 tends to hold the pan in operative position.

If desired, the brush 13 may be locked in operative position by suitable means, as, for example, a rock shaft 37 supported in bearings 38 in the framework, the outer end of said shaft being provided with an operating crank 39, and its inner end with a locking arm 40 adapted to overlie the part 17 and thus hold the brush 13 down. .The shaft has a bowed spring portion 37 which contacts a plate 41. On said .plate are two stop lugs 42 to limit the rotation of the shaft. The pressure of the bowedportion 37 against the plate 41 holds the shaft in either of its positions.

It will be seen that my invention obviates unnecessary wear upon the brush and the floor covering.

Various changes may be made in the embodiment herein shown of my invention within the scope of the appended claims.

In certain of the claims I have, for the sake of brevity, used the term thread-collecting means to indicate means for col lecting thread-clippings, lint, and other matter which a suction current cannot usually pick up from a floor or carpet.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a cleaner for floors and floor coverings, a casing having a suction nozzle upon its forward portion arranged to rest directlyupon the surface to be cleaned, a dustcollecting chamber being formed within said casing adjacent to the nozzle; suctioncreating means within the casing; brushing means associated with said casing; and means for moving said brushing means, while said suction-creating means is in operation, into and out of contact with the article to be cleaned.

2. In a cleaning apparatus, a framework, rollers supportin said framework, a pro pelling handle pivoted to the frame work for moving said framework over an article to be cleaned, a brush supporting device pivoted to said framework, 2. brush supported by said brush-supporting device, a spring normally holding said brush away from said article, rollers supported by said brush-supporting device and operatively connected with said brush, mechanism connecting said handle to said brush-supporting device, whereby when the handle is swung downwardly on its pivot, said supporting rollers and said second mentioned rollers are brought in contact, and said brush is brought in contact with the article to be cleaned.

3. In a cleaning apparatus, a framework, rollers supporting said framework, a propelling handle for moving said framework on said rollers over an article to be cleaned, a brush-supporting device pivoted to said framework, a shaft journaled in said brushsupporting device, a brush fixed on said shaft, rollers fixed on said shaft, a spring normally holding said brush-supporting device in a raised position, mechanism connecting said handle and said brush-supporting device whereby the brush supporting device is lowered when the handle is lowered, and said second mentioned rollers are brought into operative contact with said supporting rollers.

4. In a cleaner for floors and floor coverings, in combination, a framework; rollers supporting said framework; a handle for propelling said framework and thus causing said rollers to revolve; suction cleaning means attached to said framework and constantly in operative relation to the surface to be cleaned, said cleaning means being driven by said rollers; auxiliary cleaning means normally out of operative relation to said surface, and arranged to be driven by said rollers; and means for placing'the auxiliary cleaning means in operative relation to said surface.

5. In a vacuum cleaner for floors and floor-coverings, a casing having a suction nozzle upon its forward portion, rollers for supporting the rear end of the casing, a handle pivoted to the casing for propelling the casing across the floor. suction-creating means located within the casing and driven by said rollers, dust-collecting means located between the nozzle and the suction-creating means, and thread-collecting means arranged to be. moved into driven relation to the rollers and into operative relation to the surface to be cleaned by a swinging movement of the propelling handle.

v 6. In a vacuum cleaner for floors and floor coverings, in combination, suction cleaning means; auxiliary cleaning means; means for actuating both of said cleaning means. said auxiliary cleaning means being' normally disconnected from said actuating means; and means for connecting said auxiliary cleaning means with said actuating means.

7. In a cleaner-for floors and floor-coverings, in combination, a framework; means for supporting the front end of said framework; supporting rollers under the rear end of said framework; a brush located in front of said rollers: a support pivoted to the framework and rotatably supporting the' brush; a roller connected to said brush and adapted for contact with one of said supporting rollers; a receptacle in front of said brush to receive the material collected by the brush; a spring tending to move said brush support to lift the brush off the surface to be cleaned and more the roller connected to said brush away from its driving roller; a handle pivoted to the framework for pro- (fopiea of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents pellingthe latter over the surface to be cleaned; and means extending" between the handle and said brush support for moving the latter to place the brush in contact with the surface to be cleaned and to place the brush roller into engagement with its drivinn" roller. 1

R. In a vacuum cleaner for floors and floor-coverings. in combination. a supporting structure: a handle pivoted to the structure for propelling the latter over the surface to be cleaned; suction cleaning means and auxiliary cleaning means connected to said structure: and means for actuating both of said cleaning means. said auxiliary cleaning 4- BENJAMIN 1C. HARRIS.

Witnesses:

A. RICHARD NELSON, C. PAUL PARKER.

Washington, D. 0. 

